1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for maintaining an artificial aquatic system for supporting aquatic organisms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Artificial aquatic systems such as aquarium tanks are well-known. Various artificial aquatic systems have been developed having so-called self-cleaning features. Such features include slanted bottoms for directing wastes towards a drain located at the end of the slant bottoms combined with perforated false bottoms above the slanted bottoms for selectively passing wastes, continuous filtration pumps located within the tank, as well as combination gravel bottom filtration systems. However, most of these systems employ elaborate filtration systems that suffer from lack of efficiency during operation resulting in the electrical water pumps used in these systems wearing out or becoming ineffective over time.
Other systems are simply too complicated and require expensive equipment to render them operational and are not commercially feasible to manufacture due to cost limitations. Other systems suffer from the fact that the filtration units employed are difficult to service in terms of replacing the filter elements.
Most, if not all, currently available self-cleaning aquarium systems are mechanically complex. Not only do they pose manufacturing and production problems, but they also suffer from intensive maintenance requirements. Thus, currently available self-cleaning aquarium systems require a high initial investment cost with continued high cost of maintenance.
Another drawback of currently available self-cleaning aquarium systems is that the configuration of the filtration systems employed in such aquarium systems imposes a limitation and restriction on the size of the aquarium tank. As such, large aquarium tanks either cannot be effectively cleaned or require modifications or multiple filtration units in order to effectively clean the vast quantities of water.
Accordingly, although there is a need for self-cleaning aquariums that are simple in design, easy to maintain, economic in terms of initial investment and continued maintenance, and not limited in size due to the configuration of the filtration system employed, presently available systems cannot fulfill such demands.
Of the current filtration systems that are available, most if not all are either ineffective in filtering any significant amount of water or are too complex and expensive. Additionally, the configuration of most current filtration systems require the disassembly of the filtration unit in order to change the filter element. Furthermore, the configuration of the various filters used in these filtration systems are such that there is no flexibility in terms of the filter media that can be used, i.e., the filter elements are not interchangeable between different filtration units. Moreover, most current filtration systems require pumps that have enough power to pump water from an aquarium tank, through a filter unit and back into the aquarium tank. Accordingly, for large aquarium tanks, large and powerful pumps are required in order to effect a sufficient rate of water flow through the filter unit in order to effectively filter and clean the water within the aquarium tank. The mechanical stress on pump units used in such filtration units due to back pressure from the tank and head pressure from the filtration unit and water line feeding back to the aquarium tank causes the motor in the pump units to wear out fairly quickly.
Accordingly, there is a need for a filtration system for an aquarium tank that answers to the drawbacks and disadvantages of the prior art filtration systems. There is also a need for a filtration system that can be easily adapted to fit any size aquarium tank and which is effective in filtering and cleaning the water in the aquarium tank without the costs and disadvantages associated with the prior art filtration systems. Moreover, there is a need for an effective filtration system for an aquarium tank that can accept a wide range of readily available and relatively cheap filter media and which can be used in conjunction with a relatively small water pump unit without sacrificing fast and efficient filtration and cleaning of water in the aquarium tank.